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墨書 Inktalez
Looking at this house, for some reason, a sudden wave of sadness welled up inside me. The emptiness of the place made me want to cry; there wasn't even a bed in the bedroom. It felt as if this was a house abandoned by its owner. I didn't even have a place to sit.
I couldn't understand what Zhao Mingkun was thinking. It was already dark outside, and the streetlights had come on, illuminating the kitchens of the neighboring households as dinner time approached. I turned on the kitchen light and began rinsing my mouth with cold water. The icy water touched my wound, causing me to grimace in pain.
It seemed that until my wound healed, I would have to stick to liquid food. Fortunately, there was still a refrigerator in the kitchen. I opened it, but all I found were a few tomatoes and cucumbers, along with some frozen buns that had turned hard.
Looking at the cabinets, there was nothing—no oil, salt, soy sauce, or vinegar. It appeared that this kitchen was merely for show. But then again, could someone like Zhao Mingkun really cook? I kept my doubts to myself.
Just as I was pondering how to fill my stomach, I heard some noise outside; Zhao Mingkun had returned.
I stepped outside and was about to greet her when I saw her face filled with anger. Before I could grasp what had happened, Zhao Mingkun spoke first: "Turn off the light."
"Huh?" I momentarily failed to react.
Zhao Mingkun repeated, "Turn off the light."
Seeing her serious demeanor, I didn't quite understand but turned off the light anyway. Instantly, the room fell into darkness, illuminated only by the faint cold glow from the refrigerator, casting a pale blue hue on the walls. Zhao Mingkun and I stood there awkwardly in silence.
I scratched my head and asked, "What's wrong with turning on the light?"
Only then did Zhao Mingkun set down the plastic bags she was holding in both hands and said to me, "Your life on the run has just begun. If you want to avoid being handcuffed and taken away in your sleep, there’s still much you need to learn. Remember the first rule: never leave your traces behind."
With that, Zhao Mingkun pulled out a cloth from her inner pocket and wiped down the switch and refrigerator door for a moment before putting it back in her pocket. "Second rule: never turn on the lights. The light will expose our location; do you understand?"
I shrugged and replied, "Isn't that a bit overboard? We just got here."
As Zhao Mingkun began pulling things out of her bag, she said, "And yet seven years have passed in the blink of an eye while I've been out here. You probably know how many people want to catch me. But you also know they haven't even seen a shadow of me yet."
I furrowed my brow as I looked at Zhao Mingkun. At the same time, I understood why there was nothing left in this house. Whenever something needed to be bought, there would inevitably be a connection with the seller, especially for items like furniture, which aren't sold in high volumes. The seller would surely have records. To avoid leaving a trace, one could only refrain from purchasing.
But such a life felt overly cautious and a bit constraining.
Zhao Mingkun was still busy, so I asked, "Isn't this way of living exhausting?"
Hearing my words, Zhao Mingkun paused her movements without turning around. "It is exhausting. But if we don't live like this, how else can we survive? Or perhaps surviving is just suffering. I once heard someone say that in life, the amount of suffering and enjoyment is fixed. But when will the suffering we endure come to an end?"
She turned to look at me, seemingly seeking my answer. However, being seven or eight years older than her, I really had no way to respond to her question. All I could do was sigh and say, "Perhaps some people come to atone for their sins; surviving is indeed suffering."
"Surviving is suffering, yet we lack the courage to die and find relief." Zhao Mingkun took out a bottled item and said to me, "Look at us; how pitiful we are. Open your mouth."
Unsure of what to say, I instinctively opened my mouth.
A cool liquid sprayed into my mouth, carrying a medicinal taste.
I felt warmth in my heart and said, "I didn't expect you to have the spare time to buy me medicine; that's quite thoughtful of you."
Zhao Mingkun pulled out two cups of porridge from another bag, handed me one, and kept one for herself. "Here you go; dinner."
"Is this all you're having for dinner?" I asked.
Zhao Mingkun fell silent for a moment before suddenly smiling and saying, "Yes, as a woman, maintaining our figure is always our top priority. But sometimes it feels quite ridiculous to think about it. Do you think I'll ever have the chance to fall in love or be a bride in this lifetime?"
I waved my hand and shrugged. "Face reality, sister; you still have the leisure to consider such matters."
Zhao Mingkun extended a finger, beckoning lightly, her tongue slowly licking over her upper lip while one hand grasped her collar, gently pulling it down. The room was dark, illuminated only by the faint glow of the streetlights outside, casting a hazy light that perfectly outlined her figure.
I took a sip of the cold porridge. I knew it was deliberately bought by Zhao Mingkun to avoid irritating my wounds.
I said, "There's no need for the theatrics. I've already been caught off guard once. This time, I want to clarify everything about my parents."
Upon hearing my words, Zhao Mingkun adjusted her collar and casually sat down on the floor, slowly saying, "You've become quite clever, haven't you?"
I sat down as well and asked, "So, what do you really know about my parents?"
Zhao Mingkun replied, "Since you've made up your mind, I'm not one to drag things out. To be honest, I don't know much about your situation. Do you know anything about your parents? Why don't you tell me what you do know?"
I placed the porridge on the ground and began to recall, "When I was very young, I was abandoned at the gates of Qingcheng Prison. The only thing left with me was a note that seemed to be written by my mother. She mentioned that my father was a criminal incarcerated in Qingcheng. She couldn't wait for him to be released, so she left me at the gate."
Zhao Mingkun remained silent, simply sipping her cold porridge.
I continued, "Ironically, the warden tested the DNA of all male criminals but found no match for my father. They thought my mother was foolish for not even remembering which prison her husband was in. You know how it is; our country's DNA database is incomplete. With so many people here, how could they possibly find him..."
At this point, a wave of helplessness washed over me. After a pause, I continued, "My mother couldn't wait for my father; he must have committed some serious crime. It's very likely that he's already dead. I know I've been abandoned, but that's just how people are. I want to ask my mother what I did wrong to deserve this abandonment."
I felt a slight tremor in my body as I struggled to suppress my inner anger and sadness. I said, "I really want to ask them why they brought me into this world if they couldn't fulfill their responsibilities as parents. If they decided to have me, why did they abandon me?"
In an instant, all the emotions that had been bottled up inside me for years finally erupted at that moment. Despite my efforts to contain myself, tears streamed down my face like a flood breaking through a dam; I couldn't help but cry like a helpless child.
These feelings had never surfaced in front of anyone else before, but in front of Zhao Mingkun, it seemed as though all my secrets were laid bare.
Zhao Mingkun pulled out a few tissues from her pocket and handed them to me. She spoke, "What if your parents are not really criminals?"
As I wiped away my tears, I asked, "What do you mean?"
Zhao Mingkun watched as I cleaned my nose and eyes, then placed the tissues into a plastic bag before continuing, "Have you ever thought about how strange this situation is? What kind of confused mother would forget the name of the prison where her husband, the father of her child, is held? Even if there was a transfer, the family would be notified. You know this from being at Warden."
I nodded, tugging at my hair before saying, "That's right. If there's a prison transfer, the family must be informed. Unless that person has no family left. Are you suggesting that it’s not my mother who misremembered my father's prison but rather some circumstance that forced her to act this way? And you know what happened?"
Zhao Mingkun took a sip of porridge before replying, "I don't know exactly what happened back then, but through my investigation, your parents are not criminals at all. Although I'm not clear on the reasons behind it, if you were to learn your parents' true identities, you would definitely want to investigate further. And the truth may not be as pleasant as you hope."
My curiosity surged; I desperately wanted to know about my origins and what had truly happened.
I said, "Sometimes ignorance is bliss. The truth may be dark, but it is still reality. What are my parents' true identities? If they aren't criminals, why have they never seen me in over twenty years? Why have they never looked for me?"
Zhao Mingkun fell silent for a moment before standing up. "You know, there are two kinds of people living in darkness in this world: one is criminals, and the other..."
Hearing Zhao Mingkun's words clarified many things in my mind. I asked, "Are you suggesting that my parents are…?"
Zhao Mingkun nodded and said, "Exactly. If my investigation is correct, your parents should both be police officers."
"Police officers?"
Upon hearing the answer I had already suspected in my heart, I found myself momentarily speechless. After a brief pause, I finally asked, "Undercover?"
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